The Maze Runner (2014) barely gives you time to settle in your seat and reach for your first snack before transporting you into the heart of the action.

What I liked most about this film was that it didn’t lull you into a false sense of security, instead it met you head on with twists, turns and shocks – thanks mostly to some talented young actors who I hope will be rewarded with even meatier film roles as their careers develop. Here I’m mainly talking about Dylan O’Brien (Thomas), Blake Cooper (Chuck), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Newt), and Will Poulter (Gally).

You could argue that the Grievers were a little ‘overdone’, but nonetheless I think director Wes Ball got just the right balance between the alien/robot-action-chase-sequence and the Gladers’ regime and day-to-day living.

Some of the wider shots of The Maze itself were impressive and gave the audience a sense of its scale; I found myself quickly scanning the scene to see if I could spot my own way out or an alternative route for them all to take!

Only the brave live to tell the tale in The Maze Runner. So pack your courage and run that maze…or get left behind. Thoroughly entertaining **** (4 out of 5 stars)

The closing sequences were a little hard to understand first time round, but after watching it again, I was able to make better sense of it all. And while it didn’t have an ending as such, I wasn’t too disappointed by this as I’d enjoyed the film enough to consider following the journey into the next film. Due out in the UK in September 2015, The Scorch Trialslooks just as compelling! Critics might say it’s just another Hunger Games scenario and while they may share some similarities, I for one will never grow tired of this format.

Wes Ball originally pitched The Maze Runner as “Lord of the Flies meets Lost” – I would say this goes some way to summing up the film well, but I would also draw a few similarities with the ‘Runners’ in the 1976 American science fiction film Logan’s Run (one of my favourite films – if you haven’t seen it before it’s worth a watch!).

I loved this film when I watched it with a friend. I would love to watch the follow-up. I have seen the Hunger Games as well. (One or two of them.) Yes, I can see similarities. But I think they are individual to their own as the films are. I won’t get bored of them.

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Who am I?

A professional writer and qualified journalist.
I've had my work published online and in national and international newspapers and trade magazines - but this I do for fun.
I still enjoy using old fashioned pen and paper to capture moments of inspiration!